New Sony Reader aka Librie!

[keithwwalker]

Anyone have a hard comparison of the new Sony Reader vs. the Japanese Market Librie?

http://www.sony.com/reader
http://www.sony.jp/products/Consumer/LIBRIE/

specifically are the screens identical, or are there improvements?

Keith Walker

[Joel]

Looking at the pictures, I'm inclined to think that the new reader is an improvement.

I'm actually very interested in getting one!

[keithwwalker]

There is a lot more info at the Yahoo groups Librie site!

Seems like the same screen, more usability as far as file types supported, and the only step back seems to be no keyboard (wishing for graffiti in a future version!)

Get your Project Gutenberg on!!!!

Keith Walker

[dragonsgames]

I liked the one that looked like a UX... ;)

[mike p]

i think its a neat idea if u read alot

[dragonsgames]

Which is something I don't like to do... ;)

[Joel]

Available (http://www.sonystyle.com/is-bin/INTERSHOP.enfinity/eCS/Store/en/-/USD/SY_DisplayProductInformation-Start?&ProductSKU=PRS500) Spring 2006 at $349.99

- 6” SVGA 800x600 gray scale display with E Ink™ technology.
- Compact and lightweight for ultimate portability.
- Internal memory with a slot for removable memory (Memory Stick® storage media and SD Memory Cards).
- Approximately 7,500 page turns per battery charge.
- Select from thousands of eBooks from the Connect® Book store.

[teralens]

The Connect store featured no books as of yesterday.

[keithwwalker]

Yeah,
With no ebooks shipping until April, I am sure that Sony has contracted with the major publisher's right before the CES show and will get thier book store going at a later date.

Still it is ambitious, and Sony is large enough to will the publishers along.

Personally, I am going to raid Project Gutenberg for all those FREE classics!

Keith Walker

[Joel]

The price of the Sony Reader is no longer indicated at their site. I hope the price goes lower than the $349.99 previously posted.

[Joel]

The Sony Reader... now available for pre-order (http://www.sonystyle.com/is-bin/INTERSHOP.enfinity/eCS/Store/en/-/USD/SY_DisplayProductInformation-Start?sssdmh=dm11.90805&ProductSKU=PRS500U2&Dept=audio&CategoryName=pa_pdr&hqs=order)! $349.99 plus $50 ebook credit (at the new Sony Connect Store) with purchase and registration by December 31, 2006

[archangel]

Went to Borders today with every intention of leaving with a Sony Reader as they had 6 in stock. They also hoped I would be the first person to buy one. However, this device did not impress me at all. Definitely not at the $350 price tag.

I spent about 20 minutes reading and messing with all the options and several negatives hit me.

1) The device is very slow. There is a noticable delay when moving in menus from the time you hit a button till the device responds.
2) The E-ink screen is overhyped. Don't get me wrong it looks good, however, it does not look as good as paper and you can definitely tell its a digital screen. Also no backlight, but that is to be expected. I don't like that the screen has to flash black before displaying the text everytime you turn a page and again there is the same delay between pressing the page turn button and the page actually displaying.
3) Size. I'm used to holding a PDA to read so this thing seems freaking huge by comparison. It is very thin and not too heavy, but it will definitely take some time to get comfortable holding it for long stretches. The trade off is a bigger screen, but honestly I think a PDA is much more portable. This thing will be a hassle to carry around unless you have a backpack to toss it in.
4) Cost. This is a $99 device. The screen, the button layout, the design it all screams $99. There is no way in hell you can value this device at $350. You can get a 20" widecreen LCD for that price. I could even push it to $149, but until the price is dropped at least $200 it is off my radar.
5) DRM. I have over a hundred titles in eReader and Mobipocket format and those are gone if I switch. I can live with that, but it means new books have to come from Sony Connect and currently the selection is much less than eReader and especially Fictionwise. I just don't like that Sony is the only game in town for DRM content.

I'm at the point now that I want a dedicated ebook reader. I really liked that this one supported PDF documents. However, this device is not going to be the one I want at its current price point. It just didn't feel well made enough or work well enough to justify even half that cost.

I predict a grim future for the Sony Reader. Now I have to decide if the only other option an Ebookwise reader is worth the hassle or if I should just stick with the tried and true Palm OS.

[philpalm]

Hmm, that's some review and yes a new device takes time to get used to using. Why would someone buy a machine just for books? Will they try to shut down all the illegal book sites? Will they try to be subsidized by the libraries? If so then they need a way to download a temporary book?

As I see it maybe there might be an industrial use for this type of device, but not for the general public, I am just happy to use my palm and Clies as I do, but maybe for the eyesight impaired there might be a use?

[harpgliss]

Hi,

Archangel, if you go over here.

http://www.mobileread.com/

You may get a opinion for the Sony ebook reader and there are extensive discussions of the other ones on the market.

David

[Joel]

I just got my Sony Reader and thought I'd offer another point-of-view.

1. It felt slow but only because I was coming from a PDA-point-of-view. However, after about an hour's worth of reading, the "slowness" seems to have faded away. I guess I just got more relaxed...

2. It's a digital screen but I prefer reading from it now. My other favorite used to be the Nokia 770's screen. But backlights cause eyestrain for me. So reading in a lighted room is a great combination. Besides, it's how a (real) book is meant to be read -- in a well lit place.

I admit I was surprised with the flashing screen but like what I said above, once I got to my regular reading speed, I didn't mind the flashing screen anymore.

3. I love the size. It's comfortable to hold and it's like I'm carrying a small book or Moleskine notebook. I peeled off the cover and tried holding the Reader... it was so thin that it was uncomfortable to hold after a while! I have two favorite ways of holding the Reader: with the cover open, and with the cover folded back.

4. This is a $400 device. I like the quality... no scratches, no dead pixels, no creaks. This is a solid machine and I couldn't help but feel I was unpacking a CLIE! I'd rather buy the Reader than the iLiad or any "large screen" ebook reader. Again, I like the backlight-less screen... it's more comfortable to the eyes. Oh, the Reader comes fully charged out of the box.

The Reader comes with a $50 voucher which I have used to buy the Foundation series, a Stephen King bundle, Neuromancer, and Eragon. I still have about $2 to spare. The main problem? I can't buy more because Guam is not among the list of US states. However, a simple workaround is to pay someone to "gift" me a giftcard.

I use OS X. I've since converted my other non-DRM'd ebooks from .pdb to .txt. I then convert these to .rtf. It's also quite easy to save anything in PDF format in OS X but I'd rather use .rtf. (If I want, I can also save an iCal month in PDF and view it in the Reader.)

I have other DRM'd ebooks I got from eReader and Fictionwise. I'm not throwing them away because I'd like to read them someday.

5. I predict a bright future for the Sony Reader. Mobileread is generating a lot of interest in the Reader that the discussions remind me of what the CLIE did to Cliesource.

There are counter opinions regarding the Reader. Like what I'm writing, these are opinions and in the end, it's the owner that decides which is good or bad.

All in all, it's pretty obvious that I simply adore the Sony Reader. The PRS-500 is perfect for me as it is. If it gets any "better" then it's probably best to compare it to an oversized PDA or even a small laptop... which the Reader wasn't ever designed to be.

[dragonsgames]

Nice to see a positive review, and the thing really does sound cool (even though I don't read much, but when I do I use my VZ90, for I think OLED is the best on the eyes, and is the easiest to read). But what Sony really needs to do is get people convienced that this thing will replace your books (eventually, not all titles are avaliable yet). Also, it is too expensive for most people (they should make a stripped-down version for the average reader). A lot of people still like the "feel" of books (which I don't really understand, I am acutally annoyed by them, having to hold them open and all, I would much rather have a Sony Reader than a book for ease). I don't know if most people have even HEARD of this thing, and what it can do. If everyone hadn't heard about the iPod, it would never have become this popular. They really need to advertise this thing and how cool it is, and it could really take off!

[archangel]

I think I could get over the negatives about the reader if the price was lower. I would probably be in for $150. They could remove stuff like the MP3 support to get the price down. The screen tech is new so its just going to get better and more affordable. The big negative for me is how I read. I read an hour or so every night before going to bed. Having a backlight screen is a big plus for me. I'm kind of hoping Sony releases a book light attachment for this reader to help with that.

The sketchy PDF support is also an issue. From what I'm reading it really doesn't format PDFs well for the Sony screen. Hopefully Sony will continue to work on this and make the reader better and more affordable. I love ebooks and want to see the format grow. This device could really help that happen. Sony also needs to get more books in their book store. The selection at Fictionwise and eReader is much better. I'm sure this is something Sony will address though. They definitely have the pull to get all the major publishers on board.

[Joel]

size comparison:

http://static.flickr.com/115/290450683_64053c9dd6.jpg
from my photostream at flickr (http://flickr.com/photos/jsuplido/290450683/)

[dragonsgames]

http://flickr.com/photos/jsuplido/290450488/
Why does this picture make the screen look aweful compared to the rest of the pictures? The rest look great!

[Joel]

http://flickr.com/photos/jsuplido/290450488/
Why does this picture make the screen look aweful compared to the rest of the pictures? The rest look great!
It's the camera setting. I laughed when I saw the pic because the Reader turned out looking like a huge PalmPilot. :)